1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to laminated web material of the type useable in packaging and convertible into various types of containers such as cartons or the like suitable for the packaging of consumer products. More particularly, the invention relates to containers made from laminated packaging material of this character which are so constructed as to enable a selected area of the outer ply of the material to be readily peeled from or separated with respect to an underlying ply of the material, by the consumer or ultimate purchaser of the product so packaged, without significantly affecting the structural integrity of the container.
It is now a widespread practice in the marketing of packaged consumer oriented products to offer with the package, as an inducement to purchase, a promotional item or premium which may take the form of a coupon, trading stamp, picture or the like. These items have traditionally been attached in some way to the exterior of the package or inserted in the container in connection with the filling operation. Also, in the case of printed materials such as coupons, they have been printed on the surface of the carton or container with intent that they be cut out from the structure to enable redemption thereof. The above-mentioned methods of incorporating coupons or the like with packaged goods have involved certain disadvantages whether it be pilferage of the coupon in cases where they are externally attached to the package, inadvertant failure to stuff the coupon in cases where they are inserted within the package, or destruction of the carton itself as an incident to redemption in those instances where the coupons are printed directly on the surface of the packaging material from which the cartons or containers are constructed.
More recently there has been developed and introduced into the marketplace a carton construction employing laminated packaging material such as, for example, paper laminated to paper board, wherein the premium item such as a coupon or the like is printed on a predetermined section of the outer paper ply, preferably within one panel of the carton, which section furthermore is substantially unadhered to the paperboard substrate and is defined by lines of weakening such as perforated tear lines or the like so as to be readily removeable from the carton by a peeling action without significantly impairing the structural integrity of the container. There has developed, however, since the introduction of this form of removeable coupon a considerable and growing amount of unauthorized misuse and illegal pilferage of coupons of this type due to their ease of removal from the carton structure, and this occurs mainly in retail establishments whereat said products are displayed for sale to the consumer. Means have been developed to render coupons of this type tamper resistant or at least to render the illegal removeable of a coupon from a carton on the shelf of a retail establishment more difficult, such as by requiring application thereto of peel implementing means not normally available in such areas, and a tamper resistant concept of this nature is disclosed in a pending application identified hereinbelow and of common ownership herewith. The present invention represents what is considered to be an improvement upon the teaching disclosed in said pending application.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. to Martin et al. No. 1,004,055 issued Sept. 26, 1911, there is disclosed a container in the form of a rigid can having a label affixed thereto and including as an integral portion thereof a trading stamp. Such stamp is bounded by a perforated line including a tab to enable the stamp to be removed from the label without otherwise impairing the label or the container to which it is affixed. A somewhat similar construction is disclosed in the patent of Gottschalk U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,564 issued Sept. 17, 1974. In this patent a portion of the label affixed to a rigid can includes a decal bordered by a perforated line which enables the decal to be removed from the label without otherwise impairing the label or the container. In both of said above-referenced patents the peelable portions of the label are removeable without requiring any preconditioning whatsoever, thereby rendering the respective structures susceptible to tampering and illegal removal of the premium portion by unauthorized persons.
U.S. Pat. to Corrinet No. 3,110,121 issued Nov. 12, 1963, discloses a coupon embodied in the outer wrap or label for a tubular container, which coupon is bordered on three sides by a perforated tear line with its fourth side constituting a portion of the edge of the outer wrap so as to enable easy grasping thereof to start the peeling action. The structure of this reference is designed to enable easy grasping and removal of the peelable coupon portion, thus also rendering it susceptible to tampering and illegal removal by unintended or unauthorized persons.
U.S. Pat. to Herglotz No. 3,958,744 issued May 25, 1976, also discloses an on-package peelable coupon. However, the packaging material is not a laminate of paper and board, and peelability relies in the separability of the fibers of the paper board, per se.
Also, there is pending in the United States Patent Office three applications of common ownership herewith, Price et al. Ser. No. 836,873 filed Sept. 26, 1977; Ray, III et al. Ser. No. 2,701 filed Jan. 10, 1979; and Otto Ser. No. 139,045 filed Apr. 10, 1980. Each of said three pending applications discloses a carton structure made from laminated packaging material, the first mentioned application disclosing a readily peelable coupon or the like in the outer ply of the laminated material entirely within one panel thereof so as to be completely enclosed by a tear outline. In the second of the above-mentioned applications, the construction is somewhat similar to the first mentioned as to peelability, but the removeable portion of the outer ply contains a decorative image printed in sublimation ink so as to enable transfer of said image to another article as an "iron-on" under suitable application of heat and pressure. In the third of the above-mentioned pending applications which is the application mentioned in the preceding paragraph of this application, tamper resistance it achieved by designing the tear outline to have only one starting point which is in the form of a pull tab, and the laminant employed in the structure is a water soluble adhesive. The release agent applied to enable separability of the outer ply is in a pattern which excludes the pull tab area of the coupon thus leaving the tab firmly adhered to the substrate by the water soluble adhesive. The structure requires that the pull tab area be moistened with water or the like which upon penetrating through to the adhesive enables the tab area to be separated from the substrate by dissolution of the adhesive to start the tearing action which then proceeds in the usual way by virtue of the release coating on the remaining surface of the coupon.